Social media has become the heartbeat of digital engagement across MENA. With one of the world’s most connected populations and some of the highest mobile and social penetration rates globally, major platforms are no longer just places for connection; they are engines of cultural relevance, discovery, and influence.
But this opportunity comes with growing complexity for marketers. Social platforms are among the most dynamic and unpredictable environments in the digital ecosystem. With user-generated content evolving by the second and platforms constantly updating moderation policies, marketers in the region face a dual challenge: how to scale effectively on social while safeguarding brand equity and avoiding “misplaced” investment.
In navigating this landscape, a more strategic and layered approach is emerging — one that unifies measurement across platforms, combining native platform controls with specialised technology. This not only protects brands but also empowers them to make smarter, data-driven decisions across social environments.
Here are five practical principles guiding a safer, smarter path to scaling confidently on socials:
1. Leverage native platform filters – but go beyond them.
Most social platforms offer native brand safety tools that help advertisers set broad suitability filters that are specific to each platform. These are good starting points, but alone, they often lack the nuance needed to balance control with campaign reach. By combining these native features with advanced contextual intelligence, advertisers can unlock greater precision.
For example, third-party tools, like IAS’s pre-screening technology, which evaluates content before ads are served, allow advertisers to confidently apply more flexible platform filters without sacrificing brand suitability. The result is broader reach – usually lower CPM – with content-level (i.e. video ID level) control.
2. Move away from unsuitable content – before ads are served
Brand safety used to be reactive. Today, advertisers can proactively avoid unsuitable content before ads are even delivered. Pre-screening solutions now enable marketers to assess content in advance, using contextual signals that go beyond platform filters.
This not only reduces media waste but also strengthens brand equity. Advertisers using solutions like IAS’s social media optimisation have reported a 71 per cent reduction in wasted spend and a 3x lower brand suitability fail rate, offering compelling evidence of the technology’s effectiveness.
3. Measure unified performance across social platforms.
True scale doesn’t come from visibility alone – it’s also about quality and measurable quality. In a fragmented social landscape, marketers need to compare Apples-to-Apples across platforms to understand true campaign performance. Cross-platform solutions that measure viewability, invalid traffic, and brand suitability in a consistent framework are becoming essential for budget allocation purposes. Those that utilise frame-by-frame analysis on any form of video, not just a sample, have a competitive edge. They help marketers understand if ads are actually seen, by whom, and in what context — and that insight is critical in an environment where budgets are under scrutiny.
4. Refine pre-screen optimisation strategy to ensure maximum suitability and reach
Social campaigns aren’t static, and neither should be your brand suitability strategy. As content trends evolve and creative assets rotate, optimisation must be continuous. Insights from measurement tools can inform more agile pre-screening strategies, helping brands maintain relevance and protection as conditions shift.
This adaptive approach is especially valuable in fast-moving markets like MENA, where real-time responsiveness can make or break a campaign.
5. Let performance data guide budget allocation
With access to granular, content-level performance data, marketers can move from defensive strategies to proactive growth. By identifying high-performing placements and reallocating budget toward them, campaigns can drive stronger ROI — not just safer campaigns, but smarter, higher performing ones.
Looking ahead on social platforms
As the MENA region’s digital media landscape continues to expand, marketers are demanding more than just reach — they want transparency, control, and accountability. A combination of real-time insights, platform-agnostic measurement, and pre-screening capabilities is key to making this possible.
This is not just about avoiding risk. It’s about creating the conditions for confident, ambitious growth on social, where brand equity and performance go hand in hand.
At Tailwind EMEA, as the exclusive regional partner of Integral Ad Science (IAS), we help brands across MENA activate these capabilities – from pre-screening and contextual targeting to cross-platform measurement and optimisation. IAS’s suite of tools, including social media optimisation and total media quality, provides the technology to execute everything outlined above – enabling marketers to scale safely, invest efficiently, and grow strategically across the region’s vibrant and fast-evolving social landscape.
By Wajahat Osmani, Regional Director at Tailwind EMEA, the exclusive partner of Integral Ad Science in MENA & SE Europe.
